There are still a lot of people who carry a single action semi-auto (1911, 2011, BHP, etc...). There are a lot of thoughts on carry, and how to carry a single action auto...

Leave some pics, or tell us what you carry...

Question:
How do you carry a single action auto?

Choices:
Condition 1 - cocked and locked
Condition 2 - Loaded mag, empty chamber
Condition 3 - loaded mag, round in the chamber, hammer down / half cock
Are you crazy...I won't carry a single action semi auto.

 

I've carried a cocked-and-locked 1911 on-duty off and on for the past 15 years. I wouldn't carry one any other way.

?Whence all the fear of cocked and locked 1911's. They've been carried that way for eons. Indeed, part of the initial acceptance trials included tossing a cocked and locked 1911 over a 5' wall onto the floor beyond. Didn't go off ONCE!

P938, cocked and locked, the way that John Moses Browning intended. It hasn't gone off by itself yet.

Various 1911 variations all carried cocked and locked. If I need a gun, swiping off the safety while drawing is no extra time or effort, dicking around with racking the slide or cocking the hammer is.

quote:

Originally posted by V-Tail:
P938, cocked and locked, the way that John Moses Browning intended.

Wow, JMB was more prolific than I thought! He designed that one from beyond the grave!

I am not a 1911/SAO guy but I absolutely would carry cocked and locked and have once or twice “back in the day”. They were designed that way.

Folks will happily carry a massaged 3 lb short travel fully cocked striker pistol with no active safety all day every day and even pointed at their junk but will lose their mind over a traditional SAO. That always makes me kinda think “do what now???”

quote:

Originally posted by toivo:

He designed that one from beyond the grave!

Have you ever been to Cassadaga?

While I have carried SA autos in the past, I do not do it as much as I did in the past. I will still carry a 1911 on occasion that range from a full sized Ed Brown to a compact Wilson CQB. In addition, I have an Sig P938 SAS that I carried for a number of years prior to moving to the P365. I exchanged out the ambi safety, replaced the plastic trigger, and carried that pistol cocked and locked as it was intended.

One of my best friends, the guy who turned me onto SIG, and the best shooter I've ever known before arthritis laid him low, freaked out when I switched to carrying 1911s in Condition 1

"Why?" I asked him. "It's not as it it's gonna go off all by itself sittin' there in my holster." "Still..." he replied. I looked at him. "Yes...? And...?" He had no response to that.

Condition One. In that state a 1911 is every bit a safe as a modern striker fired pistol, and arguably safer than some. Designs that use a a fully cocked striker are essentially a cocked single action pistol with no manual safety.

I voted, but I thought this was going to be about revolvers.

No matter what I carry it's always in a quality kydex holster with the trigger completely covered. When out of the holster...

I did not vote as I do not currently have a 1911, but when I get one it will be carried cocked and locked.
Rod

Condition 1 for a 1911, BHP, or similar.

I carry one of these two 1911s regularly. During higher humidity months, it’s most-often the stainless gun.


Les Baer UTC





Caspian-framed 1911 (assembled by a prior owner in a Bob Rodgers Pistolsmithing class)





25+ years ago when I got my first 1911, I admit that I had to “prove” to myself that a cocked-and-locked 1911 wouldn’t attempt to self-actuate somehow while in a holster haha…carried one around the house unloaded, set to Condition 1, and snapped into a thumb-break holster. Of course, there was no issue. For a little while I still carried in a thumb-break holster, but I’ve obviously moved on to open-top setups.

I only briefly carried such a gun, but when I did, it was Condition One. It is the best combination of speed into action and safety, and the only way that makes sense. Cocking the hammer on the draw is an awkward motion that can be fumbled. Jerking off the slide to chamber a round on the draw not only can also be fumbled, but is slower and takes both hands when you might not have both available.

A lot of people seem to not realize it, but cocked and locked means you never have to touch the trigger when the pistol is loaded, except when you are ready to fire.

Load the chamber, apply the safety. Want to check the chamber? Disengage the safety, draw the slide back slightly, visually check, then lower the slide and re-engage the safety. Want to unload the pistol? Eject the magazine, disengage the safety, remove the round from the chamber.

I realize most or all of you know this, but that image of a cocked hammer seems to agitate certain people.

quote:

Originally posted by TheFrontRange:
Les Baer UTC

Oh, that's a thing of beauty right there.

quote:

Originally posted by copaup:
Condition One. In that state a 1911 is every bit a safe as a modern striker fired pistol, and arguably safer than some. Designs that use a a fully cocked striker are essentially a cocked single action pistol with no manual safety.

Or grip safety.